The Real Side
by Celestical
Summary: Everybody believed that marrying Kotoko meant riding off into the sunset to live happily ever after. Only they wouldn't, because Naoki knew all her flaws, the things she struggled with and this would be as lopsided a relationship as any that ever existed. His mother may be seeing sunshine and rainbows, but he was seeing exhaustion. A look into why Naoki may be so against marrying.


**A/N**: Something that kept niggling at me to write after talking with a friend who just finished the anime and couldn't understand why Naoki until the last moment. I pointed out that for someone whose logical, Kotoko isn't - at the moment this story takes place - that logical of a choice. Not that they don't make it work or that she can't change from where she is, but just that at this point in time, this could be one of the reasons Naoki's so resistant to the idea of marrying her.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

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><p>Naoki Irie was many things; handsome, popular, athletic, smart and he had his whole life laid out in front of him. He was going to breeze through university, take over his father's company, and, if his mother had her way, marry Kotoko before riding off – as she believed – into the sunset to happy marital bliss. Only it wouldn't be marital bliss, not if what he had seen so far was anything to go by.<p>

Because he had, in what he would forever claim was a result of exhaustion borne delirium, laid in bed and considered what would happen if he married Kotoko.

If he was really honest with himself, Naoki knew that his feelings for Kotoko were heading into dangerous territories. While she may have simply been a face in a crowd at first, living with her was changing everything. She was no longer someone he could avoid and ignore. He knew all her flaws and perks, knew the tics that made her Kotoko. And simple proximity meant he had to start liking her to some degree, he would have been driven mad otherwise.

And she wasn't a bad person. Because while she did tend to be annoying – having no concept of personal space or privacy- there were good things. Kotoko was hard-working and could succeed when she put in a lot– and he meant _a lot_ – of effort because she had managed to create history and be the first class F student to make it into the Top 100 list. She was compassionate almost to a fault. There was optimism, selflessness, loyalty and more. And Kotoko would likely be a great emotional balance to him. She was lively where he was calm, talkative to his quiet and able to bring out the best in people, even those like him. He knew he could be honest with her, and - while she may not understand the finer details -, would pick up enough to matter. So while yes they would be a perfect match emotionally, when it came down to anything else, it was another matter.

Because despite his mother's best, and many, many, _many_ attempts, teaching Kotoko basic skills seemed nearly impossible. Kotoko couldn't cook to save a life. If anything, Naoki had a suspicion that feeding an enemy her cooking was probably the cruelest action he could do. She couldn't clean. The one time she tried had resulted in his mother's favourite teacups, lamp and vase being broken in a jaw-dropping sequence that he wouldn't have believed was possible if he hadn't seen it. Laundry hadn't fared much better, with almost everything coming out tie-dyed. Her attempts at gardening had led to weeks of reviving plants; her organization to days of hunting for items in random places; and bathing Chibi ended with a happy, muddy dog and three disgruntled, wet kids. She had trouble with technology, succeeding in finding bugs he was sure the creators didn't know existed. And he was honestly surprised, after tutoring her, that she managed to make it to high school considering how much basic knowledge simply went over her head. He shuddered to think of what it would be like to ask Kotoko to handle any finances, or make large-scale decisions. Her own father acknowledged that being with Kotoko was no easy feat.

It would be relaxing yes, because she could read him so well and always managed to make him feel better. But it would also be bone-weary exhausting. Reality meant so much would fall on him. And while Naoki had no issue with hard work – because despite his IQ, there was still so much work involved with becoming a doctor – he also knew that the sheer amount of it would forever be a crack. Kotoko may never have an issue with it –he wasn't sure there _was_ anything that could – he didn't have enough faith in himself. It would be lopsided on all ends; emotionally, physically, and with everyday responsibilities.

And yet he found it mattering less and less. He was becoming more and more willing to take the risk. Because he could see himself with Kotoko, could see them overcoming all those flaws. It would take time, it would be filled with frustration and fights, and nothing may ever really change, but he was getting the inkling that it would be worth it just to be with her.


End file.
